


The Final Curtain Call

by therealassistant



Series: DRV3 Remnants of Despair au [9]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: F/M, No Anime Brainwashing We Despair Like Real Men, holy heck, pianos dont have slides, remnants au, the oc isnt really an oc it's more like, the only music i know is trombone music and last time i checked, well. youll see., whew lads this was. too much fun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-11
Updated: 2017-11-11
Packaged: 2019-01-16 00:05:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12331545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/therealassistant/pseuds/therealassistant
Summary: In the end, she was nothing special. She wasn't a piano idiot, just a plain old idiot.





	The Final Curtain Call

**Author's Note:**

> oh boy oh boy oh boy this was a lot later than it should be but whew it's longer than I thought it would be too. can't believe that the last time I updated this was before the game came out in America which was over a MONTH ago WHEW. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this! let's just head on to the disclaimers and get this show on the road.
> 
> Disclaimers: I don't own Danganronpa in any way, shape, or form (besides the few games I play) so please don't sue me.

"You're playing it wrong."

Kaede's fingers stop right above the piano keys, the song she was playing stopping right at a crescendo, her nails barely tapping the wooden keys. She bites her lip as her shoulders hunch forward just a bit in guilt. She doesn't need to look up to know who just spoke to her, yet, after a few moments, she does anyway, forcing a sheepish smile onto her face as she spoke. "I-I made a mistake, huh..? I guess I need to practice more..."

Her sentence falls apart as the young woman in front of her scoffed, setting the bag they were holding onto the ground before placing their hands to their hips. Kaede almost sighed at the gesture, that usually meant that she would be listening to the other rant for nearly hours on end. Thankfully, though, Kaede knew the other had to leave soon, so they wouldn't be with her for that much longer.

That didn't make what they were about to say any less harsh.

"Cut the crap, we both know you're making mistakes on purpose." Kaede's about to open her mouth to protest when the other suddenly snatches the piece she was playing off the piano, looking it over a bit before looking back up, a confused look on their face. "Really? Clair de lune? Why are you even playing this now?" 

This time, it takes awhile for Kaede to even speak, taking the time to think over what words she should use. Even if the other was nearly identical to her in appearance, that did not mean that they would understand what she was about to say if she phrased it incorrectly. "... I was just a bit nervous, so I decided to play it a bit to try and calm my nerves..."

Her voice once again trails off as the scowl on the other's face somehow grows, skepticism obvious in the other girl's voice as she spoke. "Really? And what are you so nervous about?" She raises her hand, holding up her pointer finger as she looked off to the side. "Being accepted into Hopes Peak?" Another finger. "Being perfect at the piano?" This time, Kaede flinches as the other holds up a third finger. "Or just being the perfect daughter that everyone loves?" A sharp laugh escapes the other's lips as she lowers her hand, shaking her head. "Well, you don't have to worry about that, you already got all three of those things."

Kaede can only stare up at the other in something akin to horror, almost left speechless. It takes her a few seconds for her to finally speak, but she is only able to say a few words before she trails off once again. "Kasumi, I didn't..." Didn't what? Didn't think her sister was suffering?

Oh, she was aware, it was the main reason why she was now "messing up" her piano playing. 

Maybe, just maybe, if Kaede played the piano like any other normal high school student, Kasumi wouldn't feel like she was living in her twin's shadow.

That only seemed to enrage her sister, though, which soon became evident as her sister's glare grew more intense. "I don't understand you, Kaede... You're always getting into others' problems and I just..." Kaede doesn't move away as her sister's hands clench into fists, she can only see her sister's face. A face that looked exactly like hers, but always wore emotions she rarely felt towards others. Holding scowls she had never given, and a constant, undying rage she could never have. Kaede nearly gasps in shock once she sees that there are tears falling down her sister's face. "... I hate it... I hate you..."

There's a part of Kaede that almost laughs at her twin's words, a disgusting, repulsive part of herself that had slowly became more prominent since she was accepted into the academy. One that she almost physically recoiled at.

This wasn't the first time Kasumi had told Kaede she hated her, and Kaede knew it wouldn't be the last.

She doesn't let that urge to laugh overtake her, though, a heart broken look taking over her face instead as she held a hand out towards her sister. "Kasumi..."

She flinches as her twin only slaps it away, before bending down to pick up the bag she had set down, trying to wipe the tears off her face as she spoke. "Just stop it... You don't have to mess up on purpose for me, you're only going to make things worse... For both of us..."

Kaede doesn't know what to say as she watches her sister leave the room, both of her hands clenched into fists, nearly crushing the sheet music she had grabbed before just a few minutes ago, before stopping right before she exited the room. "..." She looks over her shoulder, tears still trailing down her face, mascara staining her pale skin with streaks of black as she gave one final glare at her sister. "I'm not going to be in your shadow forever, Kaede... One day, I'll be the best ballet dancer in the world, just you watch!"

Despite everything, Kaede smiles at her sister's words, the polar opposite of Kasumi's rage. "... I know you will."

She doesn't know that she's crying until Kasumi is long gone, and she never brings up the sheet music her sister had crushed.

###### 

Kaede's under the bed once she hears the door open and slam shut.

Correction, she's halfway under the bed, which is probably the main reason why the stomping resounding across the small dorm room stopped for a moment before starting again.

Nonetheless, she scrambles to get out from under the bed, trying her best to fix her hair as she looks up at who entered the room, a smile already on her face once she sees the origin of the stomping. "Ah, Maki, good afternoon!"

Her cheerful greeting is only returned with a sharp glare as her dorm-mate nearly threw her bag onto the other small bed in the room, a reaction that Kaede is too used to at this point to be shocked at. Instead, Kaede simply sighs, before returning to her search. This time, though, she only looks under the bed instead of going under it, before giving a groan in frustration. "Augh, where is it..?"

"... What are you so worked up about?"

Kaede nearly jumps at the voice, her head whipping around so fast her blond hair nearly slaps her own face. Even if it was only Maki speaking, the caregiver rarely seemed to care about what Kaede was doing, as well as never speaking to the pianist. It's for this reason that it takes a few seconds for Kaede to respond, blinking at the other in shock for a few seconds before giving a sheepish laugh. "Ah, it's kind of silly... I guess I misplaced my, uhm..." She blushes a bit at her next words. "... M-My diary... A-Although, I am pretty sure that it was in my backpack earlier!"

Maki simply stares down at Kaede from her bed, before humming in thought, glancing down at her own backpack. Kaede expects the conversation to end there, due to Maki's evident lack of care about the pianist's well-being, so it surprises Kaede once again when her dorm-mate speaks up. "Have you tried retracing your steps?"

This time, Kaede was a bit more prepared for Maki's words, her response a bit quicker as she gave a small sigh in frustration. "Y-Yeah, but I know I didn't take it out of my backpack at all today... Well..." She closes her eyes in thought as she crosses her arms. "... I did bump into Kaito earlier, and most of the stuff in my backpack did fall out when he did, I just didn't think..."

When she opens her eyes again, she almost gasps in shock at Maki's horrified expression.

Well, horrified wasn't really the right word for it. Horror was the emotion Maki was feeling, evident by her suddenly paling and the way her eyes widen just a bit, as well as her newfound habit of biting her thumb's nail whenever she was a bit upset, but besides that, she did not show that much of a reaction to Kaede's words. 

Now that Kaede thought about it, Maki did seem a little bit more on edge whenever Kaito was mentioned, and the astronaut seemed to share the same reaction whenever the caregiver was mentioned as well. The two have also been avoiding each other, as if there was some unseen tension that spawned between the two in less than a day.

It's this thought that prompts Kaede to take a deep breath, finally standing on her feet to fully face her dorm-mate. "Hey, Maki... Are things okay between you and Kaito right now?"

Kaede swears that she had never seen a quicker mood swing up until that point. In a second, all of the nervous air surrounding Maki leaves, leaving behind nothing but what felt like a void devoid of anything as the caregiver glared up at the pianist. "... Why are you asking me this?"

Kaede has to force herself to take a deep breath, feeling choked under the caregiver's glare, before speaking, her voice weak. "Well, when I-I mentioned Kaito, y-you just seemed... On edge..." She nearly pinches herself as her voice stutters, but she forces her eyes to remain on the caregiver, a rare glare appearing on her face. Yet Maki only stares at her for a few seconds longer before looking away, trying to ignore Kaede by going through her backpack. 

Kaede is surprised by the sudden rise of anger in her heart, yet she doesn't stop it, only allowing it to give her the courage to continue speaking, trying her best not to sound angry. "Maki, please... You can tell me if something's wrong..."

Maki freezes up for a second, stopping her pointless search inside her backpack to ponder Kaede's words, before once again continuing her search. "... No, I can't." Her words lack a sharpness that should have been there, but before Kaede can bring it up, Maki continues to speak. "Just mind your own business, Kaede. If you just stay out of others' problems, maybe it'll help you stay out of this mess for a little while longer."

Kaede has no response for her dormmate's cryptic answer, instead, the rest of the day is spent in a tense silence as the pianist continues to turn the dorm room upside down for her diary.

She doesn't find it.

Kaede only spends the entire night thinking of questions instead of sleeping. Where was her diary? What was Maki talking about? What mess? Was Maki in danger?

When the next day comes, and Kaede finally knows what to say and ask the other girl, Maki is already gone, and the next time she sees her, it's too late.

###### 

"Afternoon, Kaede."

Kaede's head snaps up from the book she was reading, before a smile she had worn too many times before plasters onto her face. "Good afternoon, Shuichi. How's your day been?"

Shuichi smiles in return, and for some reason, it unnerves Kaede. She was slowly starting to dislike her own smile from wearing it so often, like using the same strip of tape for different tasks. Yet for Shuichi, his smiles were mostly calm and reserved, hidden under the bill of the hat he usually wore. It was a different, but a bit welcome sight nonetheless. At least she knew his smiles weren't fake, like hers were slowly becoming.

Now, though, the detective's smiles were, seemingly, more welcoming, no longer hidden by the hat he wore, which he now didn't wear at all. If Kaede could compare it to anything, it reminded her of a cat staring down at their prey right before they killed them.

Regardless, she didn't shy away from the detective after his strange personality change. Besides a few other things she found strange, he was still Shuichi, so she saw no real cause for alarm.

Like now, Shuichi's smile slowly disappears, giving a small shrug as he takes a seat next to Kaede's desk. "Nothing much... Yours?"

For a split second, Kaede wishes that she could confide to the detective about Maki and what she said, yet the caregiver's words makes her hold her tongue at the last second, recalling the warning about some sort of mess she could avoid.

In the end, she can only manage a sheepish laugh, running her hand through the end of her hair in an attempt to distract herself. "S-Same here..."

Kaede's words trail off as she sees the detective raise an eyebrow in suspicion. "... Really? Are you sure you haven't lost anything?"

Kaede freezes up completely at Shuichi's words, yet her mouth moves on its own, and all the cheerfulness from before is gone from her voice. "What do you mean?"

Shuichi holds up his hands in defense as he shrinks away from Kaede a bit, guilt creeping into the pianist once she sees the detective's reaction. "N-Nothing, really... I-It's just that... My friend found a journal, and she's been asking around to find out who's it is to return it to them..."

Kaede slowly relaxes, and she lets out a breath she didn't realize she's been holding, clasping her hands together in some feeble attempt at calming herself down, a shaky smile finding its way onto her face. "Really? Oh, that's a... A-A relief... Do you know where they are right now?"

Shuichi hums in confirmation as he nods his head, a small smile finding its way onto his own face as he spoke, his nervousness from before gone. "Y-Yeah, I can t-take you to them, if you want..."

All the tension in the pianist's body disappears as she stands up, swinging her backpack onto her back as she smiled at the detective. "That would be great! Thank you!"

"It's no problem..." Shuichi's voice grows quiet as he follows the pianist's lead, motioning towards her to follow him as he walks towards the door. "She's not that far, I think she's in the library..."

He's not wrong, the walk from their classroom to the library is only five minutes long, and the only people they pass along the way is Tenko and Himiko, with the aikido master glaring down at Shuichi until they're out of sight. Once they're at the library's entrance, Kaede waits outside as Shuichi leans into the library, not moving until the other finally walks inside.

The library is the same as it was the last few times she had been inside, yet this time, her eyes do not wander towards the shelves and the large collection of books the school has. No, instead, her eyes follow Shuichi as he walks towards one of the tables, where a girl with strawberry blond hair sits. 

"Ah, Shuichi! There you are, I've been wondering where you've been!"

Kaede flinches as the young woman yells, watching as nearly everyone in the library turned to glare at the loud girl. Yet no one shushes her, as well as their heads quickly turning away to look at something else once they see who had spoken. The strawberry blonde girl doesn't seem to notice the stares, though, only continuing to speak as Shuichi walked towards her. "So, what do ya need? Is something going on?"

The pianist could only stare in shock as Shuichi smiled in return, giving a small wave as he finally stood next to the blonde, his voice loud, but not as loud as the blonde's. "I'm sorry, Junko, I've just been so busy... But remember that journal you told me about earlier? I think that's my friend's." He started to turn towards Kaede as he spoke, motioning towards the pianist to come closer before turning back to Junko, lowering his voice a bit more so that Kaede couldn't hear him.

At first, Kaede doesn't know what to do. While she would like to have her diary back, something about this was just overall unsettling, to say the least. Not to mention, the other students' reactions to, who she assumed to be Junko, might as well have been a huge red flag for this entire meeting. Besides, she didn't even know whether or not Junko had her diary, just that she had someone's journal.

Still, if there was a chance that she could get her diary back before someone else found it, she might as well take that chance.

Slowly, Kaede takes a few steps forward, the tense silence that stayed in the library causing her footsteps to echo just a bit against the floor. It takes, what seems to be, a few agonizingly long minutes before she finally stands in front of Junko, forcing a smile onto her face as she stood next to Shuichi. "H-Hello, I'm..."

Kaede's words are cut off as Junko gives a small squeal in delight, nearly jumping up from he seat. "Oh my god, you're Kaede? Kaede Akamatsu, right? I've heard so much about you!"

Despite herself, Kaede can practically feel the blush that appears on her face at Junko's words, her fake smile turning almost sheepish as she spoke, the tension she felt before slowly disappearing. "R-Really, huh? Well, I hope what you've heard isn't anything bad..."

"Of course not! I really don't see why anyone would say anything bad about you..." Junko continues speaking, yet her words become an almost dull buzz against Kaede's ears. 

Her twin sister flashes inside her mind, that familiar, yet also somewhat unfamiliar scowl appearing on her face in nearly every memory Kaede had of her. She knew Kasumi, and even herself, had a few awful things to say about her. To think that there were some people out there that had the same opinion that Junko had about her was almost laughable at this point.

"... Yooo, Earth to Kaede. You still there?"

A hand goes back and forth in front of Kaede's face, and she has to blink a few times quickly to refocus before she can finally comprehend what's being said. She doesn't even notice that she's dropped her fake smile entirely until she notices the concerned look on Junko's face. She doesn't force another smile on her face this time, though, instead nodding her head a bit as she sighed. "Yeah, sorry, I just spaced out for a second..."

Silence fills the library once again after Kaede's words, with both Junko and Shuichi staring down at her in... Something. She couldn't pinpoint the emotions held in the other's faces, and yet Kaede's mind doesn't linger on it for long. 

Eventually, Junko turns to Shuichi, sitting back down as she quietly spoke to the black haired boy. "Hey, Shuichi, can you stand outside for a minute? I'd like to have some girl talk with Kaede."

Kaede opens her mouth to protest, yet Shuichi was already leaving the library, waving Junko goodbye without so much a word of protest. Kaede can only watch in shock as her friend left, leaving her with the strawberry blonde. She had never seen Shuichi act this way, and slowly, that tense feeling from before returned once Shuichi was no longer inside the library.

Junko motions for Kaede to sit down in front of her, and for a few seconds, the idea of running out of the library crosses Kaede's mind. She quickly shakes her head once that thought crosses her mind, instead forcing herself to sit down in front of Junko. There was no reason to run, right? Junko didn't seem like a violent person. Besides, even if something did happen, there were multiple people inside the library who would step up and help her, and Shuichi was outside too. He would help her if Junko tried anything, right?

Right?

Junko messes with the small handbag at her side for a moment, before pulling out a small book, setting it on the table. Kaede knows it's her diary the second she sees the music notes on it, yet she doesn't reach forward to grab it just yet as Junko speaks. "I'm sorry to say this, but when I found this, curiosity got the better of me, and I just..."

Her words trail off, yet Kaede understands what Junko was saying, a flash of anger crossing her face before it turned into embarrassment. What part did she read? She hadn't had this diary for long, she only got it once she found out she was enrolled into Hopes Peak. Yet there was still a small handful of stuff that she had written inside her diary that she would never be willing to say out-loud. Things that were never meant to be seen by anyone but herself. 

"... And I have to say, I can understand the whole thing with your sister..." 

Kaede stops herself from sighing in relief. She knows she shouldn't be relieved over how, out of everything Junko could have seen, that was what the other had read, yet she can't help herself. She stops short once she finally realizes what Junko said, though.

The pianist must have looked confused, as Junko continued to speak, trying to justify her words. "Well, you see, I have a twin sister too. Now, she's not exactly like your sister, but she is pretty untalented, and ugly to boot. Kind of like yours, right?"

Kaede is too shocked to properly respond to Junko's words, instead, she can simply nod in response, causing the other to clap happily as a dazzling smile spread on her lips. "Wow, I can't believe someone besides me has such a boring, awful, pig faced twin! We have so much in common! Maybe we should all just meet up sometime, how does that sound?"

Kaede opens her mouth to respond, yet is interrupted as the most ear splitting ringtone echoes across the nearly silent room. This time, none of the other students inside the library turn as Junko takes a small flip phone out of her bag, scowling down at it. "Speak of the devil..." She then shakes her head, pocketing the small phone before turning to Kaede. "We'll have to talk sometime later. How about we meet by the gym in three or so hours? That work?"

Kaede's first instinct is to quickly decline Junko's offer. While the other had given her back her diary, she had done nothing but talk badly about her sister, and overall just radiating with an intense, almost menacing aura.

Yet the small part of Kaede that was almost the same as Junko was relieved at finally knowing someone who had the same problem as she did. Junko knew the troubles of living with an annoying, untalented sister, so shouldn't she try to at least be friends with her?

For once, this small part of Kaede wins, making her nod her head as she stood, grabbing her diary off the table as a small smile fit onto her face. "That sounds like a great idea, Junko. I'll see you then."

###### 

She doesn't recognize the melody she's tapping onto the office's hardwood floor, trying to focus on that instead of the exact reason she was here. Was it something she picked up from listening to piano music for most of her life? Or was she finally figuring out how the music piece she always carried sounded? If so, she was finally making progress after all these years, albeit in a strange and dangerous time.

Tears begin to prick her eyes as she thought about the music piece she had, and she has to look down in some feeble attempt to stop them, taking a few deep breaths to try and calm down. She couldn't break down now, it would probably make her look even more guilty than she seemed. It didn't help that she looked like one of the most dangerous people in the world, no matter how many times she tried to change how she looked.

She freezes up as the door behind her opens, forcing herself to not look up from the small book in her hands as it all too quickly shuts, the tears on her face falling and landing on its hard cover. She waits for the other to speak, to yell at her and demand what a remnant was doing inside Towa City, yet all that proceeds is a somewhat awkward silence.

Eventually, the person that just walked inside the small office clears their throat, a nervous laugh leaving their mouth before they spoke. "S-So, uh... How are you?"

She's left speechless by the others words, the absurdity of the other's question causing her to turn just a bit to stare at the other in shock. The sheepish smile on the other's, who she now saw was a young man wearing a sharp suit, face turned into a concerned look once he saw her face. A few tears must have been on her face, as the man quickly moved to the small desk in front of her. "I-I'm sorry, give me a second..." He digs into his desk for a few seconds, before finally finding what he needed, a small box of tissues. He held it out to her, that worried look still on his face as he spoke. "D-Did something happen while you were being escorted here, or are you just thinking about what happened at Towa..?"

She hesitates a bit, before shaking her head, taking one of the small tissues, using it to wipe the tears off her face as she tried to think of a proper response. If he was talking to her like this, then maybe there was a possibility that he didn't know about her sister? It'd be the first bit of luck she's had in the longest time, and while that possibility lasted, she probably shouldn't say anything about her sister. "... No, I'm just grateful for being rescued, that's all..."

The man in front of her smiles in reassurance at her words, taking a seat behind the desk as he spoke. "Well, that's good to hear... I'm sorry, but I don't think I've introduced myself. I'm Makoto Naegi, but you can just call me Makoto."

She freezes up once again once she hears the other's name, before forcing herself to continue moving. She knew she was in a building that belonged to the Future Foundation, she just didn't know that she was going to be talking to one of the most important people in the foundation. In one move, he could find out anything about her, and be executed for simply being related to a member of the Remnants of Despair. Yet for now, she couldn't think of a fake name, so she only used her own, and hoped that there was someone else with the same name as hers. "It's nice to meet you, Makoto. I'm Kasumi."

Makoto stares at her for a few seconds longer, as if expecting her to give him a last name. When she didn't continue speaking, though, he only gives her a sheepish look. "... You know, you don't have to withhold information like that... We already know who you really are."

Her eyes widen as Makoto takes something out of his suit pocket, placing it onto the table for her to see. She curses as she reads what's on the card, her face clearly on it.

_Demon Name: Bakamatsu_

_Real Name: Kasumi Akamatsu_

_A demon who's on the run for looking like one of Big Sis Junko's friends. She used to be an up and coming ballet dancer, so she's super agile! Try to make her dance around so much that she gets dizzy and falls over, then kill her. She's also attracted by the sound of piano music, so it's recommended that you use that to draw her out of hiding!_

She's starting to get up to try and run away when Makoto holds up a hand, his sheepish smile still on his face as he yelled out to her. "W-Wait, we're not going to hurt you or anything! I just want to talk to you, that's all."

She stops moving at the other's words, a small bit of hope in her eyes as she registered what the other said. She knew who Makoto Naegi was, and she knew his nature. Yes, he had killed Junko Enoshima, but she had also heard that Junko had only killed herself, and Makoto had tried to help the ultimate despair. So he was probably, unlike the other Future Foundation members, more sympathetic for the remnants. Besides, isn't this what she wanted? Someone to talk to after all these years?

Slowly, she sits back down, clutching the small book to her chest as she glared at the man sitting behind the desk. "... How do you know I'm not my sister?"

In response, Makoto digs into his shirt pocket once again, this time taking out a small tablet. He holds it out to her, showing her a live recording of a concert. Tears once again pricked her eyes as she saw someone almost identical to her on the stage, sitting behind a grand piano, the purple dress they wore getting stained with blood as the people in the audience either killed each other, or themselves, due to the music the person on stage played. No sound came from the phone, which Kasumi was thankful for. Listening to the music would probably cause one of the occupants in the room to gouge the other's eyes out.

And yet, she almost wished that she could hear her sister play the piano again. She had said multiple times before her sister was a remnant that she hated her, but now, she knew that wasn't true. She didn't hate Kaede then, she was only jealous. Now, though, she hated the remnant that looked like her sister and played songs filled with nothing but death and despair.

Makoto pockets the phone as Kasumi takes another tissue from the box, his sheepish smile no longer on his face. "We have to stay tuned to whatever channels the remnants use for their little "acts" so we can try and find out where they are... It hasn't done much so far, but at least it helps with a few things. Like figuring out that you're not Kaede Akamatsu, but Kasumi Akamatsu, her twin sister."

Kasumi can only nod her head in response, forcing a tight frown onto her face as she took a deep breath to stay calm, shutting her eyes for a moment before speaking. "... What's next, then? Are you just going to let me go?"

She didn't catch Makoto biting his lip for a second, only opening her eyes after Makoto stood up from his desk, grabbing the card with her name on it off his desk as he stood. "Well, that is one thing that we can do, but there's something else, too... You see, we need the remnants for this experiment an old friend of mine was working on, so..."

Now he had her attention, her eyes widening just a bit as she slowly realizes what the other was trying to say. "... You need people to help you hunt them down, right..? People who knew them personally..."

Makoto slowly nodded his head, digging into his desk a bit, his face no longer visible, yet his voice still clearly heard. "You wouldn't be the first one to help us out. We already have a few people from one of the remnant's old organizations... DICE, I believe..? Anyway, it's a rehabilitation program. I promise, no one will get hurt-"

"I'm in."

Makoto's head shot up from behind his desk at Kasumi's words, his mouth slightly agape in shock, before he all too quickly shut it. He quickly tried his best to compose himself, a somewhat sheepish smile replacing his mild shock. "... R-Really? I wasn't even done explaining everything about the program..."

Kasumi clutches the book in her hands closer to her chest, the music notes adorning it flashing in the light, the music sheet she held in her hand crinkling a bit in her clenched fist. "I'll... I'll do anything to get my sister back... Even if the chances of her coming back are slim, I'll cling onto that small bit of hope..."

Silence follows the young woman's words for a few moments, both occupants of the small room staring at each other, before Makoto's sheepish smile became genuine, nodding his head as he sat back down, sighing in relief. "That's... Good to hear. I'll try my best to make that hope a reality." He waved towards the door as he spoke, although his eyes remained on Kasumi as he continued speaking. "Those two DICE members I mentioned earlier are outside, they'll try their best to help you out. Just..." A small chuckle escaped his mouth as Kasumi slowly stood, finally shutting his eyes as he leaned back into his seat. "Have a little patience... They're not that old, the older of the two is probably only fourteen..."

For the first time in years, a small smile appeared on Kasumi's own face, nodding her head just a bit as she walked towards the door. "I'll try my best... And thank you, Makoto. For finally giving me hope."

She doesn't notice Makoto blush as she looks down at the sheet music in her hands, the title of it, Clair de lune, worn and a bit torn, staying visible for only a moment before she folded and then pocketed the paper. She couldn't believe it, after all this time, just when she thought that her sister was never going to come back, there was now a chance, albeit small, that Kaede could come back.

For the first time in years, Kasumi finally had hope, and she was going to cling onto it for as long as she could.

**Author's Note:**

> WOW WOW WOW. wow. okay this was a lot of fun to do. Kaede was a fun and interesting character to write, and it's always a pleasure to write a lot of Junko. i hope i did both characters justice. I finally have a complete schedule of which characters I'm doing next, which is surprising to me considering there's 7 of them left now and I didn't even plan this all out when I was writing the Tsumugi one. then again I have the same planning skills as a crackhead ahfljah. next up will probably be. Gonta. probably
> 
> Anyway, feedback is welcomed and appreciated, and have a nice morning/afternoon/evening everyone!


End file.
